Man in the Corner
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  • Published: 1 August 2016
  • ISBN: 9780857989918
  • Imprint: Random House Australia
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 304

Man in the Corner

Formats & editions
EBook
1 Aug 2016
Paperback
14 Aug 2017
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Can you become someone else without the world noticing?

Can you become someone else without the world noticing?

When David’s wife confesses that she was once a prostitute, the revelation doesn’t disturb him - he considers it simply an error of youth. But the following night David collapses from a rare brain disease and within a few months his world is turned upside down.

It was a perfectly acceptable life – successful business, happy marriage, two children. Why then has David involved himself in an identity-theft crime worth millions of dollars? Why is he taking instructions from the oddly eloquent, handsome criminal, Ben Strbic? David can’t quite understand the sequence of events that has led him here, only that he must continue to the very end.

As the days and months progress, a scam that was meant to be straightforward becomes a perilous mystery unfolding in David’s very own life.

We are led up shabby and menacing lanes and into rundown apartment buildings. Besser is in command of both the cerebral and scenic elements of his demanding story. The disarming but troubling last words of Man in the Corner are Leah’s: “There is nothing else to say.” In this daring debut, Besser makes us doubt any such confident, or knowingly misleading assertions.
THE AUSTRALIAN
  • Published: 1 August 2016
  • ISBN: 9780857989918
  • Imprint: Random House Australia
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 304
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About the author

Nathan Besser

Nathan Besser was born in 1981 in Sydney. While attending secondary school he met his future wife Ariela Bard. They now live together in Sydney with their 3 children.

Nathan wrote poetry and short fiction from the age of sixteen. After completing high school he worked in various jobs, including as a delivery driver, security guard, clinical trial participant, hotel manager and call centre operator. During this time he wrote for various publications, and had three stories published in the Best Australian Stories collection. After failing to find a publisher for his first novel, he devoted his time solely to business for several years, buying and starting several small businesses. These included a restaurant delivery company, an online alcohol delivery company, a cold chain logistics service and two lingerie stores.

Following the birth of his second child, during a short holiday in Japan, he decided to begin writing again. He set to work on what would become Man in the Corner, his first (published) novel, which has also been optioned for film by Simon Baker and Rebecca Rigg. He is currently working on another novel.

portrait photo of Nathan Besser

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Praise for Man in the Corner

Selected in Five of the Best, People's Choice on ABC TV The Book Club

The Book Club, ABC TV

We are led up shabby and menacing lanes and into rundown apartment buildings. Besser is in command of both the cerebral and scenic elements of his demanding story. The disarming but troubling last words of Man in the Corner are Leah’s: “There is nothing else to say.” In this daring debut, Besser makes us doubt any such confident, or knowingly misleading assertions.

Peter Pierce, The Australian

Man In The Corner is brilliant modern noir, an intriguing thought experiment and a really fun, addictive read.

Simon Baker

A mischievously smart novel, its complex plot hooks you in inexorably.

Stephen A Russell, The New Daily

Nathan Besser’s debut novel is a fascinating tale that begins with a scandalous confession and finishes on a similar note. Imbued with social commentary and based in what must be familiar Sydney suburbs for Besser, Man In The Corner is a brilliant read that can be most clearly described as a psychological thriller. Yet, there’s more here.

Good Reading Magazine

Mind-bending thriller.

The Weekly Review

An astounding debut novel, this was a most unusual, and very rewarding read.

AustCrimeFiction.org

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Man in the Corner book club notes

Venture to the dark side of suburbia with Nathan Besser’s modern noir.

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